Continent. 187 



present and with little or no consideration of the future. Here 

 again exhaustible natural resources are on a different plane from 

 manufactures, and conservative policy much more required. 



More attention has been paid to the forest fires of the past 

 year than ever before and this is especially true of lumber jour- 

 nals, general magazines and newspapers. The total damage 

 during the past year was greater than at any time in our history 

 notwithstanding the fact that the efforts to prevent and control 

 forest fires by lumbermen, states and the national government are 

 much greater than was true when the previous disastrous fires 

 occurred. 



The year's experience again emphasizes the fact that our fore- 

 most forestry problem is adequate fire protection. The efficient 

 work done by the private Forest Fire Protective Association in 

 the northwest has greatly impressed all private owners of large 

 holdings and will have a salutary effect in the formation of new 

 associations as well as a better appreciation of state and national 

 work. Some of the most authentic lumber journals state that 

 these private organizations did better work than the ranger force 

 on National Forests but this may perhaps be largely accounted for 

 by a difference in natural conditions. Nearly every journal unites 

 in the demand for better appropriations for the National Forest 

 Service while some authors justly condemn the congressmen and 

 senators from the northwest who have done all they could to 

 limit Forest Service appropriations. The House of Representa- 

 tives having on February 11 passed a bill making a contingent 

 appropriation of $1,000,000 for fire fighting, the possibility of 

 more effective protection is probably given. 



